Why do toddlers sleep on the floor? We asked the sleep experts for kids

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By Webdesk


Child sleeps on the floor and hugs his stuffed dog.

“Knock, knock, knock” my almost 2 year old yelled from his bedroom. When I went to look, I noticed that one of his little hands was knocking loudly, while the other reached out from under the door. It was his latest tactic to get me to let him out of his room, where he spent the last hour between sleep and wake – on the floor.

For weeks, Liam battled naps, repeatedly getting out of his toddler bed and falling asleep on the cold carpet. I had tried again and again to put him back to bed. I had tried to make him cry it out. I had tried to rock him to sleep. Nothing made a difference in my stubborn secondborn’s sleeping habits. (Fortunately, he always slept fine at night, but his nap protests got really frustrating.)

Talking to my friends, I learned that my son’s behavior is actually a common problem. Whether it’s teething, new independence, schedule changes, a 2-year sleep regression, or just being overtired, toddlers have a lot of going on, and it’s normal for them to fight sleep at times. Even if their eyelids are heavy with fatigue, the little ones will try to keep them open, not quite ready to dream away.

But it can be especially frustrating and worrying to find your toddler stretched out on the floor when his comfy mattress is just steps away. So to help discover why toddlers sometimes prefer to sleep on the floor, POPSUGAR spoke with a psychologist and certified child sleep consultant to find out more.

Why does my toddler sleep on the floor?

So many strange habits of toddlers can be attributed to the developmental stage they are in, and their affinity for sleeping on the floor is one of them. “When toddlers are first learning to self-soothe, it can take time for them to develop these skills without parental help,” Stephanie Lee, PsyD at the Child Mind Institute, tells POPSUGAR. “If toddlers refuse naps and/or show escalated behaviors prior to naptime, they may take even longer to self-soothe.”

In other words, your little one is learning how to self-soothe to sleep. It’s a difficult skill to master, and along the way they may try many different things – including a little acting – because of the frustration and anxiety they feel.

There may be other factors that contribute to toddlers wanting to sleep on the floor or having trouble sleeping on the floor. “Toddlers may sleep on the floor if they are taken out of a crib too early (i.e. before 3 years old), and if they are not clear about their parent’s expectations, or lack confidence in their ability to fall asleep independently, said Sierra Dante, certified pediatric sleep consultant at SweetSleepConsulting.com.

They may also have some FOMO if they suspect everyone in the family is going to hang out and have fun while they doze off; or they are getting ready to set their naps and sleep on the floor to indicate they are not so sleepy.

“If a child is struggling with naps and bedtimes, timing can also be an issue,” says Dante. “Children who sleep 11 to 12 hours at night (which is standard for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers) are ready to stop sleeping between 2.5 and 3.5 years old. If a child is still napping or even sleeping too much during naptime can cause bedtime disruptions.”

What can I do to help my toddler stop sleeping on the floor?

Watching your child struggle with something is heartbreaking as a parent. Especially when it’s something as important as sleep. So, how can you get them to sleep in their bed instead of on the floor?

“There are a lot of different ways to go about this, and it really depends on your family and bedtime routine,” says Dr. Lee. “It can be helpful to try to use rewards and/or require your child to sleep in bed by making an effort to consistently return to bed. I know it’s hard, but often when you have a few rough nights keep it up, your efforts will be rewarded.”

Another tip is to consider adjusting your toddler’s sleeping routines to test if he’s sleeping too much. “Consider following when your child Actually falls asleep at night and after this time try to set the bedtime slightly to use their natural sleep cycle to your advantage,” Dr. Lee says.” to an ideal time in 5 to 15 minute increments while checking alarm times.”

Having a consistent bed and nap ritual in general can also help toddlers who sleep on the floor because they just don’t want to go to sleep and miss out on fun, or because they have a hard time teaching themselves. to calm down. “Using a consistent bedtime/nap routine can help a child with predictability and reduce some of this anxiety,” says Dr. Lee.

If you’d like to read more about this complicated (and frustrating!) topic, Dr. Lee highly recommends “Good Night, Sweet Dreams, I Love You: Now Get Into Bed and Go To Sleep” by Patrick Friman.

But the bottom line: try to give grace to toddlers who sleep on the floor, reinforce structure and routine – and make an extra cup of coffee.





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